Concrete-block mold.



1,233,M Patented July 10, 1917.

K 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 J. H. IREY., CONCRETE BLOCK MOLD.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. H. 1915,

'3. H. IREY.

CONCRETE BLOCK MOLD.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. I915.

Patented July 10, 1917.

- 17 i3) M I 2/ v til I attains JOHN H. IREY, OF WEST LIBERTY, IOWA.

CONCRETE-BLOCK MOLD.

Application filed March 11, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. IREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Liberty, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concrete- Block Molds, of which the following is a specification.

The invention has for an object to effect an improvement in separable or knock-down molds for making building blocks by the wet concrete process, although the mold will of course be applicable to other uses as well. In this process it is necessary to have a large number of molds for its economical practice, and it is therefore of importance to reduce the cost of the molds so that the investment for mold equipment will not be excessive, which is an important aim of the invention. It has been customary, as shown in the patent to Moore, 1,084,355, to provide mold guides which may be interposed between a series of end pieces to form a chain of molds, and it is a purpose of this inven tion to minimize the number of elements on the mold parts required specially to hold the parts together. Certain parts have been eliminated which have been heretofore es sential. My molds possess greater stability than previous molds of this type. The assemblage of the mold is therefore slmplified, also, by reason of the elimmation of complicated interlocking or separate devices for holding the parts in alinement.

It is an important object to give a mold which will produce a building block of an improved character, having a circumscr bing groove therearound, extending. over its upper and lower sides and the ends, and being in such position on the blockwhile lylng in the mold that convenient hand holds are afforded for lifting the block from themold. Another important object is to enable the formation at will of transverse grooves leading from the first mentioned groove to the face or back of the block, without involving substitution of molds of different forms.

An important attainment of the invention is the utilization of the groove forming elements to retain the parts of the mold in proper alinement, where special elements have heretofore been required for thatpurpose, involving the use of a much larger amount of material than I am requ1red to employ, and also involving more time and care in assemblingv the mold. Further, by

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1917.

Serial No. 13,658.

the construction which I employ it is possible to form blocks of any standard sizes, using very thin stock sheet metal, if desired, although it'is adapted to be made of heavy material as well. Another advantage is that the inner faces of the sides and ends have the same contour, so that a stock sheet metal rolled to one form may be utilized if desired for forming ends and sides.

Additional objects, advantages, and features of invention will appear from the construction, arrangement and combination of parts in one possible embodiment of my invention hereinafter-set forth and shown in the drawings, where- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a number of molds constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one mold,

F ig. 3 is a cross section showing lateral groove forming members in place,

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing lateral groove forming members in place to form grooves opening on anopposite side of the block to be cast,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a block cast with my mold,

Fig. 6 ,is a detail longitudinal section showing the construction of one of the ends.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one construction of end element.

There is illustrated a mold comprising two sides 10, ends 11, and bottom 12, adapted to be assembled in a chain, whereby the ends 11 will each form ends for two mutually adjacentmolds. The sides are each. formed from a rectangular blank of sheet metal, having a central horizontal bilge or bead 13 extending the full length of the piece, equally spaced from the top and bottom edges. The sides above and below the bilge are planiform and each other. At the lower edges the sides are formed with inturned flanges 14, extending their full length, upon which rests the bottom 12, which is exactly the same length as the sides; A central underlay strip 15 is fixed on the under side of the bottom, extending longitudinally the full length of thebottom, whereby it is stiffened, but more important, prevented from sagging when the mold is filled, so that the block will have an accurately planiform face on the lower side in the mold.

The ends llcomprise a central plate 16, each lateral edge of which is formed with accurately alin'ed with oppositely eXtending flanges 17, formed in the present case by bending the metal at rightangles on lines spaced to accord with the width which it is desired the mold shall Cit have, then turning the metal back upon itself sharply a spaced distance from the. plane of the plate, whereby one flange is formed, the metal being extended a like dis tance on the opposite side'of the plate and similarly turned inwardly, forming a second flange of like thickness, the edge of the mturned metal stopping short of or against the; plate 16. Bilge pieces 18 and 19 are engaged on opposite sides of the plate 16, corresponding in cross section to the shape of the sides- 10, the head portion 20, however, being mitered as at 21, whereby the beads 13 'of the sides are snugly received in this mi-.

tered part, while the flanges 17 engage outwardly of the sides. If desired, the bllge elements on each side of the plate 16 may be formed of one piece of metal, bent to re ceive the plate 16 between the opposite end portions, each of which are formedwith the horizontal bead21at the proper height, and secured to the plate16 in any suitable manher.

I so" In order to form lateral grooves in the block communicating with the circumscribing' groove, vertical' slits are formed in theiupper part of one s1de of the mold, preferably in longitudinally spaced pairs while similar slits are formed in the lower planiform part of the opposite side of the mold, in which are received tongues 28 carried by detachable arcuate plates 24 mitered to fit snugly against the bead 13, at one end, while at opposite ends are cut oil square so that their end edges will lie flush with the top of the mold, or the bottom, as the case may be. These plates 2 1'are formed of re silient metal, and the tongues 23 are disposed divergently on-each plate, so that by compressing the ends of the plates manually, the'ends of the'tongues may be introducedin the ends of the slits 22, and upon release of the plate it will spring into place and' be held securely in position. by its expansive action.

.The block made with this mold is designed for the construction of ventilated walls, the wall being constructed with such blocks laid in courses as usual with ordinary bricks or building blocks, with the circumsc'ribing grooves opposed to those of abutting blocks at each side, whereby large ventilating channels are provided in the wan. It is desired that these channels shall be'closed ofl' fromthe exterior and interior,

except at the upper outer side of the wall a'ndthe lowermost inner portion, so that it is desirable to form blocks for intermediate courses without. the transverse grooves 25, shownin' Fig. 5, while in order that proper circulation may be established, certain of the lower courses should be laid with blocks having the grooves 25 opening on the inner side, while certain upper courses should have similar grooves opening exteriorly. The detachable plates 24 enable the production of the blocks in these various forms with facility, and by the use of the same mold. The slits 22 are not sulliciently wide to permit waste of concrete as customarily mixed, and therefore do not interfere with the proper formation of blocks without the grooves 25.

The use of this mold is well understood, it being customary to assemble one mold and support one end of it by resting the mold against some stable object at one end 'while additional molds are built up from the unsupported end, these additional molds serving to support each successive end, and the end of the terminal mold in the series braced in any convenient manner. In assembling the molds it is simply necessary to present one of the ends 11 against the ends of two sides held in a convenient posi tion for engagement inwardly of the flanges 17 with the head 13 engaged in the mitercd parts of the beads 20, the bottom being put in place either before or after this adjust- V ment of the first end and two sides is made. The opposite ends of the sides are then pressed together while the second end piece is presented thereon and slipped into place. the movement being a simplelongitudinal one with respect to the sides. One end of the mold thus assembled being suitably braced, the ends of two additional side pieces are then presented in the exposed parts of the opposite end of the mold, and the building up process continued until the desired number of molds is completed. This type of mold may be termed a chain mold, on account of the relation of the mold sections and the manner of their assembly.

The simplicity of the mold will be readily understood, and the economy of its manpfacture apparent. It will also be seen that a minimum of difliculty will be encountered in assembling the mold, the form of which is calculated to save a great deal of time and labor in this work.

In Fig. 7 there is illustrated a modification of the end member, in which the necessity for the plate 16 is obviated, and the ends are formed complete in one piece. In this case, a suitable piece of sheet metal having transverse bilge portions 30 adjacent each end is bent upon itself to bring the planiform end portions into close abutment with the bilge portions alined with each other, the ends being secured together in any suitable way. The bilge portions are cut away as at 31 whereby a miter junction will be formed with the side beads 13, and edge portions of the metal suitably extended for that purpose are bent at right angles 130 to the plate, above and below the bilge portions 80, on each side of the plate, forming flanges 32. These flanges extend for the full height of the respective planiform portions of the end plate above and below the bilge portion 30, and will serve the same function as the flanges 17 before described, the assembly and other uses of the device embodying this form of'end plate being the same as before described.

What is claimed:

1. A concrete block chain mold comprising side members having inturned flanges at the lower part and a removable bottom of the same length supported on the flanges, ends having side flanges to engage outwardly of and against the sides, inset portions on said sides and members on said ends constructed to interlock with the inset portion when in operative position, against vertical relative movement of the parts, and releasable under outward longitudinal movement of the ends with respect to the sides, whereby ends, sides and bottom of the mold are held in operative relation as described.

2. A mold of the class described, comprising side members having groove forming beads thereon extending longitudinally, vertical slits formed in the side members spaced from the bead, transverse groove forming members shaped to form'a snug junction with the beads, tongue members on the last named groove forming members slidable in said slits, a bottom and ends associated with the sides.

3. An end element for molds of the character described comprising a planiform sheet having transverse bilged portions adjacent opposite ends bent centrally upon itself to dispose intermediate and end portions in close abutment, the bilged portions being cut away at their ends to receive the ends of beads therein of abutting mold sides, and extensions at thelateral edges of the end element above and below the bilge turned to engage over the outer sides of the mold.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN H. IREY.

Witnesses:

HARRY M. BRALovE, H. L. WOODWARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

